Online job ads fall by 185,700 in February, led by drop in healthcare practitioners and technical ads

US online job ads dropped sharply in February, down by 185,700 to approximately 4.7 million, according to The Conference Board’s report on online job ads. The February loss follows a flat January.

Healthcare practitioners and technical ads decreased by 88,500 to a total of 518,200, and ads for sales and related jobs fell by 27,600 to a total of 449,300. Transportation and material moving ads fell by 24,100 to 368,600 ads; office and administrative support ads fell by 20,600 to a total of 484,300.

Only three of the 10 largest online job categories posted increases in February.